Inpsirational: Alicia Keys #nomakeup

Hello Lovelies,

Today's post is focusing on raw, natural, beauty. 

When I think of that, my mind goes straight to Alicia Keys. If you haven't noticed, Alicia Keys has been stepping out in the spotlight with no makeup. 

That's right. 

No makeup!

As a professional makeup artist, I actually find this really refreshing. While I will always believe that makeup is a powerful and positive thing, it can also be very crippling for many people. 

Alicia Keys wrote an article in Lenny Letter HERE about her no makeup journey, and it is really inspiring. To see someone who is always being photographed and in the spotlight, being comfortable in her own skin enough to show up to the VMA's with NO MAKEUP on-- it was awesome!

photo: RCA/Paola Kudacki

I think she's a great role model for women all over. Finding the strength to be comfortable in your own skin and having the confidence to show the world that you are beautiful just the way you are, is an incredible feat and is challenging for most of us. 

As a professional artist I am faced with people's insecurities, facades, and distorted perceptions. Most women I work with have no idea how beautiful they really are. 

When looking at a client's face, all I see are the beautiful parts of the face-- Great cheekbones, lovely brows, gorgeous eye colors and shapes.
So often we are focusing our energy on what can be better? 
What can I do to fix this? 

We are constantly keeping focus on whatever we see as negative. This is SO damaging. We are all too hard on ourselves. 

So here's what I have to say... 

Take a break. Slowly start to wear less, and less makeup. Really. 

The more we cover ourselves up, the more we lose sight of our true beauty and create a negative association with ourselves in our natural state. I have so many clients that I've worked with that can't even fathom the idea of leaving the house without putting any makeup on! 

Now why would a makeup artist suggest taking a break from makeup?! isn't that my job?? Isn't that how I make a living?? 

Of course I love my job.
And I really do love the positive effects makeup can have. But in this craze of heavy makeup application, and contours, and exaggerated features, I think it's important to step back and appreciate what you have. It's so easy to lose sight of ourselves especially amongst all the outside pressures of the media surrounding us.

Alicia Keys mentions in her article that she turned to meditation to find a deeper sense of self. This is important! We are being fed through the media that all women need to do to be perceived a certain way. Many of us feel the pressure to wear their hair a certain way, or do their makeup just right-- and I'm guilty of it too! Everyone is affected.

Now I  do believe in taking care of yourself. I do believe in the mantra, "Look good, feel good." I do believe that everyone has their own version of beauty.
I don't want to be another source telling you what to do and how you should look-- I want to be a resource for you. I want you to come to my site as a reader and know that if you wanted to know how to take better care of your skin, you could go Here. Or if you wanted to learn about bronzer because you started using it and you're not sure you're doing it properly, you could go Here.

Of course I have my own personal aesthetic when it comes to makeup, but as a professional, you have to learn to appreciate all forms.

So while I urge you to challenge yourself and slowly learn to love yourself a little more, maybe one day you can contribute to the #nomakeup trend. You just might be surprised at how good it can make you feel.

In the meantime, let's not criticize one another for how we decide to present ourselves to the world.
Let's appreciate all forms of beauty. 

Pay someone a compliment today, it just might make their day! 

Bronzer the RIGHT way

Many of you are confused with how to apply bronzer. 

You're not alone! 

Bronzer can be tricky. It's really important to use right kind and color for your skin as well as how you apply it. 

Like most makeup products, there are a lot of different kinds of bronzers. 

There are liquid/cream bronzers, pressed bronzers, loose powdered bronzers! They can be matte, or golden toned, or even glittery. 

So here's a quick breakdown on how to do bronzer the right way so it looks like your natural glowy skin.

Liquid/Cream Bronzers

These can be tricky, but once you get the hang of them, they are quite beautiful. They are sheer and often add that dewey luminescence most of us are dying to get! 

Just take a small amount on the back of your hand or onto a palette. 

Take a medium, loose brush or a Duo fiber brush and tap it into the liquid bronzer. 

Here are two great brush options: 

                                                 

Left: Sigma F50, Right: Tarte The Buffer

Gently buff the product onto the skin starting at the high points of the face (where the sun would naturally hit you: forehead, nose, cheekbones) and in small circular motions, carefully blend into the skin. 

*I would suggest placing this over a liquid or cream foundation and then with a lightweight powder, carefully set the makeup where needed (usually around the nose, under the eyes, etc). *

Here are some great Liquid bronzers to try: 

photo c/o nars.com

Nars Laguna Illuminator

$30

I use this on a lot of my clients! Technically it's an illuminator, so it has some more highlight tones in it rather than a matte finish. I love to apply this on the cheeks, forehead and nose for a bronzy, glowy and of course illuminated look. 

photo c/o benefit.com 

Benefit's Dew the Hoola Soft Matte Liquid Bronzer
$28

For a softer, more natural looking bronzer, this does the trick! It's a matte finish and gently blends into the skin for that subtle but mesmerizing sun kissed color.

photo c/o shainabrown.com

Josie Maran Bronzing Argan Oil
$39

This beautiful bronzing oil adds a hydrating, subtle glow to the skin. It can be applied by pressing it into the skin with your hands- making it very easy and foolproof. Something to remember about this product is that it IS an oil! So it's not going to have as much of that bronze-y punch you may be looking for, but it's great for that subtle glow. 

Matte Bronzer

Looking for a little more sun kissed color in your skin? A matte bronzer is a very user friendly product (when applied correctly and using the right color for your skin!). 

Matte bronzer can be used all over the face. Some people take this a little too far and can end up looking like a completely different color from their neck and chest. It's so important to find the right color for you!

A good rule of thumb is to go one to two shades darker than your tone. Try to stay in the same undertone family as well. The cooler you are, go for a cooler toned bronzer and the warmer you are, you can find the warmer toned bronzers. DO NOT go darker than two shades! Once you do, it looks very unnatural and can potentially look more orange than bronze.

Best way to apply powder bronzer: 
Use a Big Fluffy brush- you want the bristles to be loosely packed so you can softly and evenly display the color. The tighter the bristles are packed together, the more packed on your color will be.

A great brush option: 

photo c/o bobbibrowncosmetics.com 

I prefer using Natural hair brushes when it comes to applying bronzer. Here's a great brush from Bobbi Brown-- and it's even labeled "bronzer" on the handle so you don't forget!

*When applying something like bronzer or blush, it's important to work in layers. This will prevent any over distribution of color in one area. *

Swirl your brush into the powder, tap it against the edge of a table to remove excess product. From there you'll want to apply it to the skin-- there are two great ways to do this.

1) The Number 3: Apply the color in the shape of the number 3 starting at the top of the head, round into the cheekbone, and round under the jawline. This creates a soft natural "contour"as well as warming the skin.
2) The Sun: Apply where the sun would naturally hit you. Gently swipe it across your forehead, down your nose, chin and hit the apples of the cheeks and cheekbones. This gives more of a natural sun color glow.

Here are some great Matte Bronzers: 

photo c/o tartecosmetics.com 

Tarte Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer

$30

This is a great color for my fair skinned beauties! This soft tawny bronze is a great color for fair skin to look like it has a natural sun kissed glow. 

photo c/o narscosmetics.com 

Nars Bronzing Powder
$39

Nars carries 3 shades of bronzer that are beautifully crafted. I'm kind of cheating here because they have more of a radiant finish than a matte finish, but I'm still including it here because they look soft and natural without looking too highlighted.

photo c/o Nyxcosmetics.com 

NYX Matte Bronzer
$9

I'm actually pretty impressed with NYX and their bronzers! They come in 5 shades with an option of cool or warmer undertones, which makes it easier to choose one for your skin!

Just because Summer is over doesn't mean bronzer is off the makeup table! Fall and winter is a great time to subtly apply bronzer to keep a healthy glow all year round.

Best of luck to you on your bronzer journey! I hope this helps you out! If you have any additional questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section!